A few people below (e.g. @david_herdson) commented that 87% is too high and 'represents value' for betting against.
From my punting POV I wish to beat windward against these winds.
Unless you are betting on the spreads, where you can trade your position, a fixed price bet against the market is only 'value' if you know something the market doesn't.
A 10% chance of winning a political bet does not mean that 1 time in 10 you will win your bet. There is no law of averages. Every time you bet you still only have, according to the market, a 10% chance. When you've lost 9 times in a row, you are no more likely to win the 10th time than 10%.
luv ya
xx
I don't think I understand your point. Are you saying that if you think the chances of event x happening are 25%, and the bookies have the odds of that happening as 10-1, you still shouldn't bet because it's still unlikely to happen? If so, I don't agree.
And if you place ten bets at 10%, yes, you would expect to win one time in ten, over the course of a sufficiently large number of bets, minus the bookies' overround, assuming the bookies have priced the event correctly.
It's just the same as betting on the roll of a dice. Being offered odds of, say, 33% on rolling a six is good value and worth a bet. The fact that the six is unlikely to come up is not the issue.
If your point is that rolling a non-six five times in a row won't make the sixth roll a six, well I agree. But I don't think that affects value.
You are correct. If the chance of something happening is IYO much greater than the odds imply you should bet on it.
But still not beyond what you can afford to lose. Eg, if I pull a coin (not a trick one) from my pocket and I offer you 3/1 against you calling the toss right you should take me up on the offer and suggest a big stake. It's fabulous value for you.
But if I say the stake has to be VERY big, let's say equal to your entire net worth, now you have to turn down this great money-making opportunity because if you lose you're ruined.
This is one of the (many) reasons it's easy to make money if you have loads to start with - and so hard if you don't.
Yep.
Finance capital, aka the filthy rich always getting a return, will eventually go pop though for the same reason that martingale strategies in the casino don't work. Always bet on value...bet on value...oh dear I had to stake everything and look what happened.
Those who don't already know it may be interested in the Kelly criterion:
The 'doubling up on red and start after 3 blacks in a row' technique for roulette is very seductive even as you know it's bollox.
Or is it? Maybe not always. Consider this:
You have £100 in the world and you simply MUST turn it into £120 because you owe Reggie Kray £120 and he's going to nail your scrotum to a coffee table if you don't pay in full. No point offering him £100. That'll make him even more angry. He'll think you're taking the piss. Disrespecting him. Disrespecting his mother.
He's coming to your place at midnight for the money. It's 6 pm now. You have no mates or family and can't borrow.
Solution: Hit the casino. Do the above technique assiduously (at £1 per spin) until you either lose the £100 or make the £20. You're more likely to make the £20 than lose the £100. If you make the £20 you're saved. You pay Reg and resolve to live better from now on. If you lose the £100, well you're no worse off. It's flat/win and flat/wins make sense.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
I did the same train journey 15 years ago. On a train which looks quite similar to the one you are on, except for the fact that a) my betrothed and I had a compartment to ourselves, and b) very few stops. Still took three hours.
Now, I like a train journey. Looking vacantly out of the window of a train is one of life's pleasures. I even enjoy train journeys through Lincolnshire. But I came to the same conclusion as you. One of the least visually stunning corners of Europe.
Still, the cities at either end are enjoyable.
I went from Warsaw to Gdansk some years ago to look at the place my mother grew up in (in the 30s) and concur about the landscape, though as Cookie says both places are attractive.
Like many Eastern European families, they had multiple generations living together. The family house was on three stories, occupied by young folk with good legs at the top, middle-aged folk in the middle, and the elderly on the ground floor. It's now three separate flats and I was hospitably shown round by one of the residents - big rooms, high ceilings, like Edwardian houses in London.
The Polish Corridor was of course the cockpit of WW2, and the family was pretty apolitical (they left the USSR in the 20s for that reason - just didn't want to be part of a revolutionary state). However, the neighbour, the future Nazi gauleiter, put up a swastika flag, so they raised a hammer and sickle just to make it clear they weren't anything to do with the thugs next door. They had lots of amusing and slightly scary stories. My grandfather was a defence lawyer with a clientele of mostly low-level crooks, and engaged some of his petty criminal clients to keep an eye out for my mum when she walked to school - she remembered getting reassuring nods from seedy characters hanging around on street corners.
I have a tentative retirement plan in a few years to take a new degree in history, focusing on the period and region - just for interest and to fill out the impressions that I picked up from the family.
3 months is not much time. And people will remember the pain they went through even if in 6 months they are doing better than before.l
Ronald Reagan was right.
The question at the election is going to be “Do you feel better off than you were four years ago?”, which is going to be answered in the negative for an awful lot of people.
Labour 44% (-4) Conservative 27% (–) Liberal Democrat 13% (+2) Reform UK 8% (+3) Green 4% (–) Scottish National Party 3% (–) Other 1% (–)
Changes +/- 9 July
Deeply worrying poll for the Tories.
Labour lose 4 and the Tories don’t gain.
I'm sceptical about these RefUK shares. If they really are polling that well then that should show up in the by-elections.
Yes, by-elections have different dynamics but if you're going to vote for a protest party, that's as good an opportunity as any. Tactical vote considerations will matter even more come a GE.
According to HY we are adding Refuk to the Conservatives which gives them a not unhealthy 35%. Single figures behind Labour.
Bloomberg reckons more people will gain from higher interest rates than lose. Added to which, average wage rises are on the point of exceeding the rate of inflation.
We did this last week. Kinabalu and I argued for some time over it. I think our position can be summarised that you only gain from higher interest rates if you do not take into account your capital depreciating away. Which, as kinabalu fairly pointed out, many people do not.
I have some 1 year deposits rolling over in October, so if inflation could tower until then and then fall off a cliff, I think that would definitely be best for the country.
Which is pretty regular for inland Spain any summer. It is many miles from the med where in my zone we are a pleasant 32 degrees, 10 miles inland.
Oh good. If you are comfortable that's the main thing.
Well of course. Many Córdobans will be here too. There is a strong tradition of people from inland Spain , which for many , many years has baked in the summer, having as much of July and August on the coast to chill. I know it doesn't fit your desire to go all apocalypse now but no-one cares.
Yes. I note Aemet are issuing extreme heat warnings, but what do they know? Why not drop them a line to explain that?
They do that all the time like all other met agencies everywhere. It helps with the funding. They do the same in the winter when it's chilly inland. I'm still chuckling at the idea that 40+ for Cordoba in July is cataclysmic.
Yes. I have been to Córdoba. I am guessing you haven’t been anywhere much beyond the English and Spanish suburbs you have retired respectively from and to. So less of the stab at worldly wisdom, please.
What's your take on China recording an all time record on the same day Las Vegas equals its own? More chuckling?
That Chinese record is a bit odd. There is an automatic weather station but it isn't a national level one, so who knows what the calibration is like.
The location is in the Turpan Depression, China's equivalent of Death Valley, and well below sea level.
Yes, Why are these lying bastards lying to me? is not an unreasonable reaction to official Chinese data. But the forecasts with american data from good ole IBM suggest that it's bloody hot there atm
edit can't make the link work. Search weather.com for Turpan, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China
weather.com is broken for me, but I assume it is using GFS. No question that it is hot, and not just there.
I just worry that there's a a bit of a race to show how bad things are climate wise without consideration.
Things are undoubtedly bad, but this is supposed to be a science.
Guardian is claiming Death Valley is close to the all time global high temp record
I don’t trust this record tho. I am pretty sure somewhere in the Aussie interior has gone way over the 53C record at some point. But there’s no one there to gauge it
For context Australia’s highest ever temperature - 50.3C - was recorded last year in Western Oz ON
Which is pretty regular for inland Spain any summer. It is many miles from the med where in my zone we are a pleasant 32 degrees, 10 miles inland.
Oh good. If you are comfortable that's the main thing.
Well of course. Many Córdobans will be here too. There is a strong tradition of people from inland Spain , which for many , many years has baked in the summer, having as much of July and August on the coast to chill. I know it doesn't fit your desire to go all apocalypse now but no-one cares.
Yes. I note Aemet are issuing extreme heat warnings, but what do they know? Why not drop them a line to explain that?
They do that all the time like all other met agencies everywhere. It helps with the funding. They do the same in the winter when it's chilly inland. I'm still chuckling at the idea that 40+ for Cordoba in July is cataclysmic.
Yes. I have been to Córdoba. I am guessing you haven’t been anywhere much beyond the English and Spanish suburbs you have retired respectively from and to. So less of the stab at worldly wisdom, please.
What's your take on China recording an all time record on the same day Las Vegas equals its own? More chuckling?
That Chinese record is a bit odd. There is an automatic weather station but it isn't a national level one, so who knows what the calibration is like.
The location is in the Turpan Depression, China's equivalent of Death Valley, and well below sea level.
Yes, Why are these lying bastards lying to me? is not an unreasonable reaction to official Chinese data. But the forecasts with american data from good ole IBM suggest that it's bloody hot there atm
edit can't make the link work. Search weather.com for Turpan, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China
weather.com is broken for me, but I assume it is using GFS. No question that it is hot, and not just there.
I just worry that there's a a bit of a race to show how bad things are climate wise without consideration.
Things are undoubtedly bad, but this is supposed to be a science.
Guardian is claiming Death Valley is close to the all time global high temp record
I don’t trust this record tho. I am pretty sure somewhere in the Aussie interior has gone way over the 53C record at some point. But there’s no one there to gauge it
For context Australia’s highest ever temperature - 50.3C - was recorded last year in Western Oz ON THE COAST
If it can get that high by the sea - imagine somewhere in a dip 200 miles from Alice Springs
Australia turns out to be bad at dips - Lake Eyre is the lowest point of Australia (15m below sea level) it says here. Danakil is -125m Death Valley -86m Turpan -155m.
There's a lot of silliness about this sort of thing, the Worst Journey bloke (Cherry-Garrard) gets pissed off about people saying to him Oh but we've been in -50 C, it's fine (stepping out of first class on a Trans-Rockies train for 3 minutes and then stepping in again).
But nothing matches Australia for sheer relentless flat desertness with barely any shade. It outdoes the Sahara
Somewhere in there I bet it’s hit 55-60C
There’s a theory it might have touched 55C during one of Charles Sturt’s explorations across Oz. But it got so hot the thermometers ceased working properly and also the heat sent everyone temporarily blind, so they couldn’t check the bulbs anyway
Labour 44% (-4) Conservative 27% (–) Liberal Democrat 13% (+2) Reform UK 8% (+3) Green 4% (–) Scottish National Party 3% (–) Other 1% (–)
Changes +/- 9 July
Deeply worrying poll for the Tories.
Labour lose 4 and the Tories don’t gain.
I'm sceptical about these RefUK shares. If they really are polling that well then that should show up in the by-elections.
Yes, by-elections have different dynamics but if you're going to vote for a protest party, that's as good an opportunity as any. Tactical vote considerations will matter even more come a GE.
According to HY we are adding Refuk to the Conservatives which gives them a not unhealthy 35%. Single figures behind Labour.
Yet I bet most of that Ref vote are people who can no longer stand the Tories, if for a somewhat different reason-set than the rest of us, and will probably stay at home in the absence of a Ref candidate and campaign. It’s essentially the residual UKIP “up yours!” vote.
Labour 44% (-4) Conservative 27% (–) Liberal Democrat 13% (+2) Reform UK 8% (+3) Green 4% (–) Scottish National Party 3% (–) Other 1% (–)
Changes +/- 9 July
Deeply worrying poll for the Tories.
Labour lose 4 and the Tories don’t gain.
I'm sceptical about these RefUK shares. If they really are polling that well then that should show up in the by-elections.
Yes, by-elections have different dynamics but if you're going to vote for a protest party, that's as good an opportunity as any. Tactical vote considerations will matter even more come a GE.
According to HY we are adding Refuk to the Conservatives which gives them a not unhealthy 35%. Single figures behind Labour.
Yet I bet most of that Ref vote are people who can no longer stand the Tories, if for a somewhat different reason-set than the rest of us, and will probably stay at home in the absence of a Ref candidate and campaign. It’s essentially the residual UKIP “up yours!” vote.
Boris Brexit got them out for the Cons last time, with a nudge from Farage and a little push from Jez. Those factors are all gone.
Some serious bullshitting from the Post Office on WATO today.
If it’s so bloody difficult to go through the documents (and I suspect they’re BS numbers), how did they manage to gather sufficient evidence to bring prosecutions in the first place ?
Contemptible excuses for what looks an awful lot like obstruction.
Because the PO did their own prosecutions so the crapness of the evidence wasn't picked up by an independent 3rd party...
When it comes to criminal prosecutions there should be three lines of defence beyond the prosecuting authority to ensure no-one is unjustly convicted: defence lawyers, the judge and the jury. The systematic failure of all these levels in so many cases is noteworthy and troubling. Though of course the PO must have known something was amiss, simply by the number of apparent offences committed by the sorts of people who don't generally commit them. It would not take a statistical genius to notice.
The problem was that the whole point of the new system was to detect fraud, and they’d sold that aspect as part of the business case. So when the “fraud” started showing up, that was exactly what they wanted to see and the management were all happy. No-one thought to take a step back and wonder if the system was working correctly.
They brought bullshit prosecutions because, bluntly, they bullied a lot of the postmasters into pleading guilty, the courts ruled that computer evidence must be believed not questioned (FFS!!) and the postmasters did not have the financial or legal resources to fight back because we've pretty much abolished any sort of meaningful legal aid.
Also the Post Office's lawyers must not be let off the hook here. As prosecutors, they are legally obliged to provide disclosure of material which helps the defendants and undermines the prosecution's case. For why - see the Irish miscarriages of justice in the 1970's. They failed to do so and they deserve the severest of censure for these professional failings.
Ditto with the internal investigators who did a shit job by not questioning or understanding the technical evidence. This stuff is not easy - I have had month long headaches trying to understand some of the technical trading stuff I was investigating - but it is your fucking job to do it and do it right. Grr .... this makes me so angry. There is really no excuse for what the professionals did here.
The lawyers grilling the wonder-weenies at the heart of this grotesquerie ARE doing THEIR jobs.
As for those being grilled, based on YouTube viewing, hard to imagine a more pathetic collection of worthless losers.
Personally wouldn't hire any of the ones I saw, to manage a ONE hole outhouse. OR haul chickenshit across a country road.
Which is pretty regular for inland Spain any summer. It is many miles from the med where in my zone we are a pleasant 32 degrees, 10 miles inland.
Oh good. If you are comfortable that's the main thing.
Well of course. Many Córdobans will be here too. There is a strong tradition of people from inland Spain , which for many , many years has baked in the summer, having as much of July and August on the coast to chill. I know it doesn't fit your desire to go all apocalypse now but no-one cares.
Yes. I note Aemet are issuing extreme heat warnings, but what do they know? Why not drop them a line to explain that?
They do that all the time like all other met agencies everywhere. It helps with the funding. They do the same in the winter when it's chilly inland. I'm still chuckling at the idea that 40+ for Cordoba in July is cataclysmic.
Yes. I have been to Córdoba. I am guessing you haven’t been anywhere much beyond the English and Spanish suburbs you have retired respectively from and to. So less of the stab at worldly wisdom, please.
What's your take on China recording an all time record on the same day Las Vegas equals its own? More chuckling?
That Chinese record is a bit odd. There is an automatic weather station but it isn't a national level one, so who knows what the calibration is like.
The location is in the Turpan Depression, China's equivalent of Death Valley, and well below sea level.
Yes, Why are these lying bastards lying to me? is not an unreasonable reaction to official Chinese data. But the forecasts with american data from good ole IBM suggest that it's bloody hot there atm
edit can't make the link work. Search weather.com for Turpan, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China
weather.com is broken for me, but I assume it is using GFS. No question that it is hot, and not just there.
I just worry that there's a a bit of a race to show how bad things are climate wise without consideration.
Things are undoubtedly bad, but this is supposed to be a science.
Guardian is claiming Death Valley is close to the all time global high temp record
I don’t trust this record tho. I am pretty sure somewhere in the Aussie interior has gone way over the 53C record at some point. But there’s no one there to gauge it
For context Australia’s highest ever temperature - 50.3C - was recorded last year in Western Oz ON THE COAST
If it can get that high by the sea - imagine somewhere in a dip 200 miles from Alice Springs
Australia turns out to be bad at dips - Lake Eyre is the lowest point of Australia (15m below sea level) it says here. Danakil is -125m Death Valley -86m Turpan -155m.
There's a lot of silliness about this sort of thing, the Worst Journey bloke (Cherry-Garrard) gets pissed off about people saying to him Oh but we've been in -50 C, it's fine (stepping out of first class on a Trans-Rockies train for 3 minutes and then stepping in again).
But nothing matches Australia for sheer relentless flat desertness with barely any shade. It outdoes the Sahara
Somewhere in there I bet it’s hit 55-60C
There’s a theory it might have touched 55C during one of Charles Sturt’s explorations across Oz. But it got so hot the thermometers ceased working properly and also the heat sent everyone temporarily blind, so they couldn’t check the bulbs anyway
I think there was also a very high reading (above 55C) from Libya's Qattara Depression during a southerly wind but that has since been discounted as a non-standard exposure.
Sadly satellites can only measure the surface temperature but the 80C+ in Iran's Lut Desert can't have been good for anyone there.
A finely crafted joke, all afternoon setting up the punchline writing about Poland, atrocities in the war etc and then just dropped in after a few hours. Nicely done.
Bloomberg reckons more people will gain from higher interest rates than lose. Added to which, average wage rises are on the point of exceeding the rate of inflation.
For a bunch of people, pay settlements exceed their personally experienced "inflation rate". Even if only because they are in their 20s and 30s when experience tends to deliver rising salaries.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
I did the same train journey 15 years ago. On a train which looks quite similar to the one you are on, except for the fact that a) my betrothed and I had a compartment to ourselves, and b) very few stops. Still took three hours.
Now, I like a train journey. Looking vacantly out of the window of a train is one of life's pleasures. I even enjoy train journeys through Lincolnshire. But I came to the same conclusion as you. One of the least visually stunning corners of Europe.
Still, the cities at either end are enjoyable.
I went from Warsaw to Gdansk some years ago to look at the place my mother grew up in (in the 30s) and concur about the landscape, though as Cookie says both places are attractive.
Like many Eastern European families, they had multiple generations living together. The family house was on three stories, occupied by young folk with good legs at the top, middle-aged folk in the middle, and the elderly on the ground floor. It's now three separate flats and I was hospitably shown round by one of the residents - big rooms, high ceilings, like Edwardian houses in London.
The Polish Corridor was of course the cockpit of WW2, and the family was pretty apolitical (they left the USSR in the 20s for that reason - just didn't want to be part of a revolutionary state). However, the neighbour, the future Nazi gauleiter, put up a swastika flag, so they raised a hammer and sickle just to make it clear they weren't anything to do with the thugs next door. They had lots of amusing and slightly scary stories. My grandfather was a defence lawyer with a clientele of mostly low-level crooks, and engaged some of his petty criminal clients to keep an eye out for my mum when she walked to school - she remembered getting reassuring nods from seedy characters hanging around on street corners.
I have a tentative retirement plan in a few years to take a new degree in history, focusing on the period and region - just for interest and to fill out the impressions that I picked up from the family.
Where did your mom & her parents live? Danzig/Gdansk?
Which is pretty regular for inland Spain any summer. It is many miles from the med where in my zone we are a pleasant 32 degrees, 10 miles inland.
Oh good. If you are comfortable that's the main thing.
What's wrong with stating facts? It is normal for that area in summer.
I remember driving across the Spanish interior in July 1990 in the back of my parents' Austin Maestro in the days before air conditioning. God it was hot. Every 30 miles or so there'd be a shack by the road at which you could buy several litres of water, which would all have been drunk by the next stop. Never sweated so much in my life.
I broke down in an old Oldsmobile near Las Vegas in 110°F heat. Radiator had boiled over. Gave it half an hour to cool off (!!!) And emptied all the water in the icebox into it. Drove the next 50 miles with A/C off and the car heating on full, to get as much heat off the engine as possible.
On the same trip our tent blew away in a sandstorm in New Mexico, so we had to sleep in the Olds.
Mrs Foxy was a little hot and bothered, but still married me the following year!
Politics of “too many young people going to university” a bit surprising. Our Loyal National (more Red Wall) segment among most likely to say too few/right numbers going whereas Established Liberal (Cameronite/Blue Wall) among most likely to say too many young people go to uni.
Presumably a similar mechanism to grammar schools- those who are confident that their children/grandchildren will still get to go like the idea of selective academic education.
Indeed. At leastd one of us shows the principle very clearly, in his insistence that only posh universities entered via "public" [sic] schools are acceptable, with grammar school oiks also in the running but distinctly below the salt.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
A fuel tank. They often survive re-entry - even a full re-entry from a satellite.
You’d want to be careful - Mr Hydrazine is not friend. In theory a re-entry should bake any out, but there have been reports consistent with residual amounts being present, soon after landing.
Yeah you definitely don’t want to touch one of those, if you come across it on the beach. One best left for the bomb squad, or whichever agency deals in hazardous material cleanup in that part of the world.
I wouldn’t panic that much.
It’s probably not hydrazine. And if it is, it is probably baked out. And rolling around in seawater should have neutralised any hydrazine anyway.
I just wouldn’t let the kids build sandcastles next to it.
Not been rolling around that much - thjere is a very clear waterline of epifauna, looking like weed at the top and goose barnacles over most of it. I was puzzled by the asymmetry till I realised the uneven damage was probably causing a preferential list to one side. And the buoyancy suggests that a tank remains intact and the interior may be out of contact with seawater.
If it’s been floating in the sea, waves will have been breaking over it. If it’s a re-entry, the initial impact will have taken it underwater.
The weed growth suggests it’s been in the sea a long time. The Sun will have baked it out pretty well.
Yeah, but if anything could get out the sea water could get in, esp. with diurnal temperature fluctuations sucking it in when cool. Obvs a one way valve could be happening. Anyway, not something to poke around while wearing budgiesmugglers and flip-flops.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
Had roughly similar experience many years ago, taking the Great Northern railroad line (now part of BNSF) across the northern Great Plains of USA. Took full day and then some from Glacier National Park to Minneapolis.
Distinctly remember when the train was briefly stopped at Havre, Montana. Was looking out the window, and there was a real-live cowboy, or close enough, likely a rancher. I gave him a wave . . . and he tipped his Stetson.
On most current polls and expectations the Tories will lose all 3 by elections on Thursday. So if they hold just one that will boost Sunak before the summer recess.
Starmer by contrast will need to win at least one of Selby or Uxbridge or Labour MPs will wonder why poll leads don't translate to ballot box success. The LDs I assume will win Somerton and Frome which will give Sir Ed Davey an enjoyable summer holiday
Where did your mom & her parents live? Danzig/Gdansk?
Yes - I can't remember the actual street name now. They were there from 1922 to 1937.
There's a guy who works for my landlord, who grew up near Gdansk, based on what he's told me (not much) his family was quasi/semi ethnic German. Think perhaps Kashubian, at least partly.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
Had roughly similar experience many years ago, taking the Great Northern railroad line (now part of BNSF) across the northern Great Plains of USA. Took full day and then some from Glacier National Park to Minneapolis.
Distinctly remember when the train was briefly stopped at Havre, Montana. Was looking out the window, and there was a real-live cowboy, or close enough, likely a rancher. I gave him a wave . . . and he tipped his Stetson.
The USA can seem misleadingly European if you only fly between cities, or shuffle around the Acela corridor. Got to get into six hours' worth of corn fields to see the reality.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
Had roughly similar experience many years ago, taking the Great Northern railroad line (now part of BNSF) across the northern Great Plains of USA. Took full day and then some from Glacier National Park to Minneapolis.
Distinctly remember when the train was briefly stopped at Havre, Montana. Was looking out the window, and there was a real-live cowboy, or close enough, likely a rancher. I gave him a wave . . . and he tipped his Stetson.
The sort of flat landscape you get in the north European plain, or Lincolnshire for that matter, is different and worse than anything in the prairies or the steppe.
It’s cluttered flatness. There are buildings, road signage, rows of trees, electricity pylons all preventing any really long distance views. So you don’t really get the big sky effect or the sense of emptiness.
In my defence, you might notice the smiley, and it was a reaction to your crass: "... if he hadn't dressed like a slob"
The sort of brain-dead attitude towards attire that I've commented about on here in the past.
The only crass comment I remember about that whole exchange is your claim that women found your scruffiness attractive. It might be true I suppose. But the fact that you denied it suggests it isn’t!
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
I once did a long drive to Alice Springs. Brown flat land, blue blue sky, hot hot sun. That together with Tokyo are the 2 times I've felt most in a foreign place and an awful long way from Rotherham.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
I agree. I’ve done the drive from Alice to coober pedy to Oodnadatta. On and on and on
It’s mesmerising, even lovely, in its own boring way
Also dangerous. You don’t fall asleep so much as drift into a weird dream state. Where you can easily and rhapsodically drive off the road into a ghost gum
July 17, 1945. Leo Szilard’s petition to President Truman against using atomic bombs on Japan received 70 signatures. It was prevented from reaching the President. It wasn’t declassified until 1961. https://twitter.com/GeneDannen/status/1680975033525739520
In my defence, you might notice the smiley, and it was a reaction to your crass: "... if he hadn't dressed like a slob"
The sort of brain-dead attitude towards attire that I've commented about on here in the past.
The only crass comment I remember about that whole exchange is your claim that women found your scruffiness attractive. It might be true I suppose. But the fact that you denied it suggests it isn’t!
There is a certain type of fool who believes that if someone is not impeccably dressed, they are somehow lesser; that their worth or value as a human is reduced because of it. Having known some people who dress well and are real gits, and people who dress less well and are really nice people (and vice versa, to be fair), I understand that the quality of attire has little to do with the value of a person.
I therefore made a jokey comment about it (hence the smiley). You appear to have read far too much into it.
On most current polls and expectations the Tories will lose all 3 by elections on Thursday. So if they hold just one that will boost Sunak before the summer recess.
Starmer by contrast will need to win at least one of Selby or Uxbridge or Labour MPs will wonder why poll leads don't translate to ballot box success. The LDs I assume will win Somerton and Frome which will give Sir Ed Davey an enjoyable summer holiday
This is delusional. Lets assume you lose Selby and Somerton and scrape a win in Uxbridge thanks to all those ULEZ-opposing Hindus you're obsessed by.
How is that a boost to Sunak? Instead of "everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose" its "almost everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
Had roughly similar experience many years ago, taking the Great Northern railroad line (now part of BNSF) across the northern Great Plains of USA. Took full day and then some from Glacier National Park to Minneapolis.
Distinctly remember when the train was briefly stopped at Havre, Montana. Was looking out the window, and there was a real-live cowboy, or close enough, likely a rancher. I gave him a wave . . . and he tipped his Stetson.
The sort of flat landscape you get in the north European plain, or Lincolnshire for that matter, is different and worse than anything in the prairies or the steppe.
It’s cluttered flatness. There are buildings, road signage, rows of trees, electricity pylons all preventing any really long distance views. So you don’t really get the big sky effect or the sense of emptiness.
Have driven across Lincolnshire (from north to south) and thought it was great.
Great minds thinking un-alike. Vive la difference (in a manner of speaking)!
On most current polls and expectations the Tories will lose all 3 by elections on Thursday. So if they hold just one that will boost Sunak before the summer recess.
Starmer by contrast will need to win at least one of Selby or Uxbridge or Labour MPs will wonder why poll leads don't translate to ballot box success. The LDs I assume will win Somerton and Frome which will give Sir Ed Davey an enjoyable summer holiday
That's what the Conservative party has come to: thinking that losing "only two" of these three by-elections will be a success.
Last time England won an Ashes test at Old Trafford was 1981.
Bloody Lancastrians.
Is that just because of all the rain so they simply draw?
Depressingly good point. Only Thur and Fri look playable. So draw there, win at the oval doesn't get us the ashes back.
Ah yes so on this I've backed series score 2/1 at 26. ie 2 draws. I think that's value despite bazball. The 4th at OT looks very weather heavy. Then if it's still 2/1 into the Oval there'll be only one team risking defeat for a win. Plus the weather doesn't look great there either. 26 looks awfully big to me.
To follow your train woes, we just had to ask a middle aged man (blue shirt, 3 buttons undone, brown shoes, jeans) to vacate our booked seats. From his reaction, this was the height of millennial entitlement and we ought to be thrown from the train.
Why are people such utter *****. There are definitely more of them post-COViD, and I bet they have high turnout at the polls.
Yes. It’s at a weird angle. This is more realistic. I’ll stop with the beer photos now in case @viewcode has conniptions
That view must be one of the great urban views of Europe, come to think of it. The loveliest square in one of Europe’s loveliest cities. Ergo one of the finest urban views in the world
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
I once did a long drive to Alice Springs. Brown flat land, blue blue sky, hot hot sun. That together with Tokyo are the 2 times I've felt most in a foreign place and an awful long way from Rotherham.
Thats funny. As a Lancastrian the most foreign I have felt in a familiar place is Rotherham. Its *like* a Lancashire town. But everything is different. Probably didn't help that I was interacting with my now ex, her family and her friends. And most of them turned out to me mentalists.
On most current polls and expectations the Tories will lose all 3 by elections on Thursday. So if they hold just one that will boost Sunak before the summer recess.
Starmer by contrast will need to win at least one of Selby or Uxbridge or Labour MPs will wonder why poll leads don't translate to ballot box success. The LDs I assume will win Somerton and Frome which will give Sir Ed Davey an enjoyable summer holiday
This is delusional. Lets assume you lose Selby and Somerton and scrape a win in Uxbridge thanks to all those ULEZ-opposing Hindus you're obsessed by.
How is that a boost to Sunak? Instead of "everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose" its "almost everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose.
Uxbridge is in the top 100 Labour target seats. Starmer needs it for Labour to even win most seats let alone a majority and on current polls it should be an easy Labour gain. If the Tories hold it it would certainly suggest problems for Labour in suburban London at least
In my defence, you might notice the smiley, and it was a reaction to your crass: "... if he hadn't dressed like a slob"
The sort of brain-dead attitude towards attire that I've commented about on here in the past.
The only crass comment I remember about that whole exchange is your claim that women found your scruffiness attractive. It might be true I suppose. But the fact that you denied it suggests it isn’t!
There is a certain type of fool who believes that if someone is not impeccably dressed, they are somehow lesser; that their worth or value as a human is reduced because of it. Having known some people who dress well and are real gits, and people who dress less well and are really nice people (and vice versa, to be fair), I understand that the quality of attire has little to do with the value of a person.
I therefore made a jokey comment about it (hence the smiley). You appear to have read far too much into it.
Or, more accurately, you are just trolling.
Again.
I simply said that you had claimed your scruffiness attracted women. Which you denied. And then had to reverse ferret when I cited the post.
I couldn’t care less what you wear, or how smelly you are, or how unkempt your beard or shoes are. It’s the way you fetishise your own slovenliness and advertise it frequently on here which is somewhat odd.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
I agree. I’ve done the drive from Alice to coober pedy to Oodnadatta. On and on and on
It’s mesmerising, even lovely, in its own boring way
Also dangerous. You don’t fall asleep so much as drift into a weird dream state. Where you can easily and rhapsodically drive off the road into a ghost gum
And you gotta watch out for roos and camels
And snakes. When I stopped at one point I found one wrapped around my wheel.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Except the Masurian lakes, the sandy beaches of the northern coast, Zamosc, the mountainous south, the Białowieża Forest and it's bison, Kampinos National Park, Sudety mountains...
Last time England won an Ashes test at Old Trafford was 1981.
Bloody Lancastrians.
Is that just because of all the rain so they simply draw?
Depressingly good point. Only Thur and Fri look playable. So draw there, win at the oval doesn't get us the ashes back.
Ah yes so on this I've backed series score 2/1 at 26. ie 2 draws. I think that's value despite bazball. The 4th at OT looks very weather heavy. Then if it's still 2/1 into the Oval there'll be only one team risking defeat for a win. Plus the weather doesn't look great there either. 26 looks awfully big to me.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
I agree. I’ve done the drive from Alice to coober pedy to Oodnadatta. On and on and on
It’s mesmerising, even lovely, in its own boring way
Also dangerous. You don’t fall asleep so much as drift into a weird dream state. Where you can easily and rhapsodically drive off the road into a ghost gum
And you gotta watch out for roos and camels
Many years ago driving with family friends ahead of us on the way from San Diego to Phoenix this pretty much happened to them.
Ran slowly off the road a few miles from Gila Bend, nearly hit a Porsche hire car broken down on the hard shoulder (with a German tourist standing behind the boot), bypassing the German and clipping the Porsche’s right rear and then rolling into a saguaro cactus.
We arrived about a minute later to a scene of great confusion. Somewhat later still the local cop turned up complete with hat, tight fitting uniform and shades and addressed everyone as sir and ma’am.
Onto the Jamie Driscoll thing again, the "ha, he's just raised £25k" thing is exactly like "ha, Jeremy has just raised £gazillions to defend him from libel". Fools and their money are easily parted.
Driscoll is losing his job and is unhappy about it. I understand that. But this is politics - losing comes with the job. Some battles are internal - he is hardly the first politician to be deselected by his own party.
Question is why he and his are so bereft of friends and allies. Forging those across a spectrum of colleagues is also a key part of politics.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
Had roughly similar experience many years ago, taking the Great Northern railroad line (now part of BNSF) across the northern Great Plains of USA. Took full day and then some from Glacier National Park to Minneapolis.
Distinctly remember when the train was briefly stopped at Havre, Montana. Was looking out the window, and there was a real-live cowboy, or close enough, likely a rancher. I gave him a wave . . . and he tipped his Stetson.
The sort of flat landscape you get in the north European plain, or Lincolnshire for that matter, is different and worse than anything in the prairies or the steppe.
It’s cluttered flatness. There are buildings, road signage, rows of trees, electricity pylons all preventing any really long distance views. So you don’t really get the big sky effect or the sense of emptiness.
Perhaps unexpectedly you CAN get those views in bits of coastal Essex. On the estuary of the River Blackwater say. At Osea
Last time England won an Ashes test at Old Trafford was 1981.
Bloody Lancastrians.
Is that just because of all the rain so they simply draw?
Depressingly good point. Only Thur and Fri look playable. So draw there, win at the oval doesn't get us the ashes back.
Ah yes so on this I've backed series score 2/1 at 26. ie 2 draws. I think that's value despite bazball. The 4th at OT looks very weather heavy. Then if it's still 2/1 into the Oval there'll be only one team risking defeat for a win. Plus the weather doesn't look great there either. 26 looks awfully big to me.
Thanks had some of that at average 22
There'll be play on all five days, I reckon. But 26 for 2-1 looks excellent value.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
Had roughly similar experience many years ago, taking the Great Northern railroad line (now part of BNSF) across the northern Great Plains of USA. Took full day and then some from Glacier National Park to Minneapolis.
Distinctly remember when the train was briefly stopped at Havre, Montana. Was looking out the window, and there was a real-live cowboy, or close enough, likely a rancher. I gave him a wave . . . and he tipped his Stetson.
The sort of flat landscape you get in the north European plain, or Lincolnshire for that matter, is different and worse than anything in the prairies or the steppe.
It’s cluttered flatness. There are buildings, road signage, rows of trees, electricity pylons all preventing any really long distance views. So you don’t really get the big sky effect or the sense of emptiness.
Have you seen Dead Man's Shoes? That really conjured up the grim feel of England when flat meets impoverished. Set in the north but could just as easily have been somewhere in Kent or Suffolk.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
Had roughly similar experience many years ago, taking the Great Northern railroad line (now part of BNSF) across the northern Great Plains of USA. Took full day and then some from Glacier National Park to Minneapolis.
Distinctly remember when the train was briefly stopped at Havre, Montana. Was looking out the window, and there was a real-live cowboy, or close enough, likely a rancher. I gave him a wave . . . and he tipped his Stetson.
The sort of flat landscape you get in the north European plain, or Lincolnshire for that matter, is different and worse than anything in the prairies or the steppe.
It’s cluttered flatness. There are buildings, road signage, rows of trees, electricity pylons all preventing any really long distance views. So you don’t really get the big sky effect or the sense of emptiness.
Perhaps unexpectedly you CAN get those views in bits of coastal Essex. On the estuary of the River Blackwater say. At Osea
In my defence, you might notice the smiley, and it was a reaction to your crass: "... if he hadn't dressed like a slob"
The sort of brain-dead attitude towards attire that I've commented about on here in the past.
The only crass comment I remember about that whole exchange is your claim that women found your scruffiness attractive. It might be true I suppose. But the fact that you denied it suggests it isn’t!
There is a certain type of fool who believes that if someone is not impeccably dressed, they are somehow lesser; that their worth or value as a human is reduced because of it. Having known some people who dress well and are real gits, and people who dress less well and are really nice people (and vice versa, to be fair), I understand that the quality of attire has little to do with the value of a person.
I therefore made a jokey comment about it (hence the smiley). You appear to have read far too much into it.
Or, more accurately, you are just trolling.
Again.
I simply said that you had claimed your scruffiness attracted women. Which you denied. And then had to reverse ferret when I cited the post.
I couldn’t care less what you wear, or how smelly you are, or how unkempt your beard or shoes are. It’s the way you fetishise your own slovenliness and advertise it frequently on here which is somewhat odd.
As I said, why do you think anyone would care?
People do care about dress to a stupid degree, as has been said on here on several occasions. And I might suggest saying someone dresses like a slob (as you did) shows you agree with that attitude.
Or perhaps PB is a place where people sometime somewhat exaggerate their views, or joke a little.
If not, please tell me where I've claimed that I "... runs seven ultra-marathons every weekday. "
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
I agree. I’ve done the drive from Alice to coober pedy to Oodnadatta. On and on and on
It’s mesmerising, even lovely, in its own boring way
Also dangerous. You don’t fall asleep so much as drift into a weird dream state. Where you can easily and rhapsodically drive off the road into a ghost gum
And you gotta watch out for roos and camels
Many years ago driving with family friends ahead of us on the way from San Diego to Phoenix this pretty much happened to them.
Ran slowly off the road a few miles from Gila Bend, nearly hit a Porsche hire car broken down on the hard shoulder (with a German tourist standing behind the boot), bypassing the German and clipping the Porsche’s right rear and then rolling into a saguaro cactus.
We arrived about a minute later to a scene of great confusion. Somewhat later still the local cop turned up complete with hat, tight fitting uniform and shades and addressed everyone as sir and ma’am.
I believe roadmaking people in Australia and elsewhere are now encouraged to add pointless curves and bends just to keep drivers awake?
A dead straight road for miles and miles is an invitation to have an accident, or do 190mph
On most current polls and expectations the Tories will lose all 3 by elections on Thursday. So if they hold just one that will boost Sunak before the summer recess.
Starmer by contrast will need to win at least one of Selby or Uxbridge or Labour MPs will wonder why poll leads don't translate to ballot box success. The LDs I assume will win Somerton and Frome which will give Sir Ed Davey an enjoyable summer holiday
This is delusional. Lets assume you lose Selby and Somerton and scrape a win in Uxbridge thanks to all those ULEZ-opposing Hindus you're obsessed by.
How is that a boost to Sunak? Instead of "everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose" its "almost everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose.
Uxbridge is in the top 100 Labour target seats. Starmer needs it for Labour to even win most seats let alone a majority and on current polls it should be an easy Labour gain. If the Tories hold it it would certainly suggest problems for Labour in suburban London at least
In every single election there are outlier seats. Ones that should go x to y that don't even though ones much lower down the target list do. And ones that go x to y even though even suggesting the thing is possible is criminal.
Holding Uxbridge means nothing if you are getting reamed in solid blue 20k seats elsewhere. You still lose. Badly.
Please understand. Should you pull this off, and just hold Uxbridge whilst being reamed in the others. And then you come on here crowing about your great victory. We will mock.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
Had roughly similar experience many years ago, taking the Great Northern railroad line (now part of BNSF) across the northern Great Plains of USA. Took full day and then some from Glacier National Park to Minneapolis.
Distinctly remember when the train was briefly stopped at Havre, Montana. Was looking out the window, and there was a real-live cowboy, or close enough, likely a rancher. I gave him a wave . . . and he tipped his Stetson.
The sort of flat landscape you get in the north European plain, or Lincolnshire for that matter, is different and worse than anything in the prairies or the steppe.
It’s cluttered flatness. There are buildings, road signage, rows of trees, electricity pylons all preventing any really long distance views. So you don’t really get the big sky effect or the sense of emptiness.
Perhaps unexpectedly you CAN get those views in bits of coastal Essex. On the estuary of the River Blackwater say. At Osea
Or here. The Anglo Saxon chapel of Cedd. Bradwell
Skies that go on and on. Ruskin loved them
Othona is a mystical and beautiful place.
Isn’t it just. A bare-boned box of holiness
Without exaggeration one of the most godly and spiritual places on earth. And tucked away in a corner of utterly unknown England, next to a dead nuclear power station
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
I agree. I’ve done the drive from Alice to coober pedy to Oodnadatta. On and on and on
It’s mesmerising, even lovely, in its own boring way
Also dangerous. You don’t fall asleep so much as drift into a weird dream state. Where you can easily and rhapsodically drive off the road into a ghost gum
And you gotta watch out for roos and camels
Many years ago driving with family friends ahead of us on the way from San Diego to Phoenix this pretty much happened to them.
Ran slowly off the road a few miles from Gila Bend, nearly hit a Porsche hire car broken down on the hard shoulder (with a German tourist standing behind the boot), bypassing the German and clipping the Porsche’s right rear and then rolling into a saguaro cactus.
We arrived about a minute later to a scene of great confusion. Somewhat later still the local cop turned up complete with hat, tight fitting uniform and shades and addressed everyone as sir and ma’am.
I believe roadmaking people in Australia and elsewhere are now encouraged to add pointless curves and bends just to keep drivers awake?
A dead straight road for miles and miles is an invitation to have an accident, or do 190mph
When I was in Oz, we drove along a road that led towards the Murray River. At ten miles (or so, I forget exactly), there was a sign saying "bend in ten miles". Then there was another at five miles, another at four, etc, etc. There were then a series of increasingly-frantic signs before a ninety-degree bend; beyond the bend was the river.
I was there in a relative drought period, and was surprised to see plaques in the branches of a tree showing various flood heights, seemingly dozens of feet above the water level.
Just heard Nick Read from the Post Office condemning Kevan Jones for criticising the Post Office Board's Brucie bonus.
What is it with all these horrid Labour MPs called Jones beating up on Nick?
He has a fucking nerve criticising anyone given his own behaviour.
On a different matter, have you noticed that Sarah Jane Baker (of "punch TERFS in the face" fame) has now been charged with a public order offence and is in prison (man's prison) for breaching the terms of their licence? I recall you were quick to criticise the Mayor for an apparent lack of condemnation, and I think you assumed the Met would take no action. Anyway, the speech inciting to violence has indeed had consequences.
On most current polls and expectations the Tories will lose all 3 by elections on Thursday. So if they hold just one that will boost Sunak before the summer recess.
Starmer by contrast will need to win at least one of Selby or Uxbridge or Labour MPs will wonder why poll leads don't translate to ballot box success. The LDs I assume will win Somerton and Frome which will give Sir Ed Davey an enjoyable summer holiday
This is delusional. Lets assume you lose Selby and Somerton and scrape a win in Uxbridge thanks to all those ULEZ-opposing Hindus you're obsessed by.
How is that a boost to Sunak? Instead of "everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose" its "almost everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose.
Uxbridge is in the top 100 Labour target seats. Starmer needs it for Labour to even win most seats let alone a majority and on current polls it should be an easy Labour gain. If the Tories hold it it would certainly suggest problems for Labour in suburban London at least
In every single election there are outlier seats. Ones that should go x to y that don't even though ones much lower down the target list do. And ones that go x to y even though even suggesting the thing is possible is criminal.
Holding Uxbridge means nothing if you are getting reamed in solid blue 20k seats elsewhere. You still lose. Badly.
Please understand. Should you pull this off, and just hold Uxbridge whilst being reamed in the others. And then you come on here crowing about your great victory. We will mock.
Yes. It’s at a weird angle. This is more realistic. I’ll stop with the beer photos now in case @viewcode has conniptions
That view must be one of the great urban views of Europe, come to think of it. The loveliest square in one of Europe’s loveliest cities. Ergo one of the finest urban views in the world
And the Hejnal Mariacki every hour gets into your brain
On most current polls and expectations the Tories will lose all 3 by elections on Thursday. So if they hold just one that will boost Sunak before the summer recess.
Starmer by contrast will need to win at least one of Selby or Uxbridge or Labour MPs will wonder why poll leads don't translate to ballot box success. The LDs I assume will win Somerton and Frome which will give Sir Ed Davey an enjoyable summer holiday
That's what the Conservative party has come to: thinking that losing "only two" of these three by-elections will be a success.
Given the state of both the party and the country, if the Parliamentary Conservative Party sees any kind of result that suggests they'll emerge as a viable Opposition in a Hung Parliament (i.e. that two thirds of them will hold their seats,) rather than being completely decimated, then they (the fraction not up for the chop, at any rate) will probably be quite satisfied.
A Labour minority Government that spends half its time micro-managing a restive Parliament and the other half making excuses for its conspicuous lack of achievement is the express route to Tory rehabilitation.
Just heard Nick Read from the Post Office condemning Kevan Jones for criticising the Post Office Board's Brucie bonus.
What is it with all these horrid Labour MPs called Jones beating up on Nick?
He has a fucking nerve criticising anyone given his own behaviour.
On a different matter, have you noticed that Sarah Jane Baker (of "punch TERFS in the face" fame) has now been charged with a public order offence and is in prison (man's prison) for breaching the terms of their licence? I recall you were quick to criticise the Mayor for an apparent lack of condemnation, and I think you assumed the Met would take no action. Anyway, the speech inciting to violence has indeed had consequences.
Good. What a vile creature making vile - and clearly illegal - threats of physical harm. And “they” got applause for that. Ugh
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
I agree. I’ve done the drive from Alice to coober pedy to Oodnadatta. On and on and on
It’s mesmerising, even lovely, in its own boring way
Also dangerous. You don’t fall asleep so much as drift into a weird dream state. Where you can easily and rhapsodically drive off the road into a ghost gum
And you gotta watch out for roos and camels
Many years ago driving with family friends ahead of us on the way from San Diego to Phoenix this pretty much happened to them.
Ran slowly off the road a few miles from Gila Bend, nearly hit a Porsche hire car broken down on the hard shoulder (with a German tourist standing behind the boot), bypassing the German and clipping the Porsche’s right rear and then rolling into a saguaro cactus.
We arrived about a minute later to a scene of great confusion. Somewhat later still the local cop turned up complete with hat, tight fitting uniform and shades and addressed everyone as sir and ma’am.
I believe roadmaking people in Australia and elsewhere are now encouraged to add pointless curves and bends just to keep drivers awake?
A dead straight road for miles and miles is an invitation to have an accident, or do 190mph
When I was in Oz, we drove along a road that led towards the Murray River. At ten miles (or so, I forget exactly), there was a sign saying "bend in ten miles". Then there was another at five miles, another at four, etc, etc. There were then a series of increasingly-frantic signs before a ninety-degree bend; beyond the bend was the river.
I was there in a relative drought period, and was surprised to see plaques in the branches of a tree showing various flood heights, seemingly dozens of feet above the water level.
Yes. The multiple and apparently excessive signs are deliberate - to keep you awake and alert
On most current polls and expectations the Tories will lose all 3 by elections on Thursday. So if they hold just one that will boost Sunak before the summer recess.
Starmer by contrast will need to win at least one of Selby or Uxbridge or Labour MPs will wonder why poll leads don't translate to ballot box success. The LDs I assume will win Somerton and Frome which will give Sir Ed Davey an enjoyable summer holiday
This is delusional. Lets assume you lose Selby and Somerton and scrape a win in Uxbridge thanks to all those ULEZ-opposing Hindus you're obsessed by.
How is that a boost to Sunak? Instead of "everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose" its "almost everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose.
Uxbridge is in the top 100 Labour target seats. Starmer needs it for Labour to even win most seats let alone a majority and on current polls it should be an easy Labour gain. If the Tories hold it it would certainly suggest problems for Labour in suburban London at least
You have already said Labour will lose because of a local outer London issue (ULEZ) that is about to drop in around a month. That being so, and I trust your and Nick Ferrari's judgement on this local issue. If you are both right then Uxbridge means Jack S*** for the national picture. You can't have it both ways in Uxbridge.
Explosion from underneath this time, so the whole roadway has been forced up and back down, there’s much more damage to the support pillars than in last year’s explosion.
That should take a while to fix, it was five months last time, with the damage to only one carriageway.
Glad to see that the bridge isn’t as protected at the enemy thinks it is.
Railway bridge is a more difficult hit, as it’s a lot more substantial structure than the road bridge.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
I agree. I’ve done the drive from Alice to coober pedy to Oodnadatta. On and on and on
It’s mesmerising, even lovely, in its own boring way
Also dangerous. You don’t fall asleep so much as drift into a weird dream state. Where you can easily and rhapsodically drive off the road into a ghost gum
And you gotta watch out for roos and camels
Many years ago driving with family friends ahead of us on the way from San Diego to Phoenix this pretty much happened to them.
Ran slowly off the road a few miles from Gila Bend, nearly hit a Porsche hire car broken down on the hard shoulder (with a German tourist standing behind the boot), bypassing the German and clipping the Porsche’s right rear and then rolling into a saguaro cactus.
We arrived about a minute later to a scene of great confusion. Somewhat later still the local cop turned up complete with hat, tight fitting uniform and shades and addressed everyone as sir and ma’am.
I believe roadmaking people in Australia and elsewhere are now encouraged to add pointless curves and bends just to keep drivers awake?
A dead straight road for miles and miles is an invitation to have an accident, or do 190mph
ISTR in Japan in the 80s they identified that this was a problem and solved it by means of setting off irregular explosions by the roadside. Treat as "bloke on the internet told me" levels of reliability...
Yes. It’s at a weird angle. This is more realistic. I’ll stop with the beer photos now in case @viewcode has conniptions
That view must be one of the great urban views of Europe, come to think of it. The loveliest square in one of Europe’s loveliest cities. Ergo one of the finest urban views in the world
It would have been considerably better if it had been in focus, but to do that would require you moving five foot forward and removing your table, your beer, and yourself from the photo. Choices.
On most current polls and expectations the Tories will lose all 3 by elections on Thursday. So if they hold just one that will boost Sunak before the summer recess.
Starmer by contrast will need to win at least one of Selby or Uxbridge or Labour MPs will wonder why poll leads don't translate to ballot box success. The LDs I assume will win Somerton and Frome which will give Sir Ed Davey an enjoyable summer holiday
That's what the Conservative party has come to: thinking that losing "only two" of these three by-elections will be a success.
Given the state of both the party and the country, if the Parliamentary Conservative Party sees any kind of result that suggests they'll emerge as a viable Opposition in a Hung Parliament (i.e. that two thirds of them will hold their seats,) rather than being completely decimated, then they (the fraction not up for the chop, at any rate) will probably be quite satisfied.
A Labour minority Government that spends half its time micro-managing a restive Parliament and the other half making excuses for its conspicuous lack of achievement is the express route to Tory rehabilitation.
Yes don't tie Keir's hands. Don't send him naked into the chamber. And especially don’t do both. Give him the tools to do the job.
Krakow must be right up there in the top 20 most beautiful cities on the planet. I think I prefer it to Prague
True story: I was last here 20 years ago for a wedding. A couple of days before the wedding we all went for a jaunt. On the way back to krakow from the salt mines we passed auschwitz and the minibus driver said “if anyone wants to see it, well, here it is”
Despite the horror everyone wanted to see it, as they’d not seen it before, so they all piled off. I could hardly stay on the bus (“what, don’t you care??”) so I dutifully got off to “see Auschwitz”
Thing is I’d specifically seen it about six months before. So I spent my time hiding behind a gas chamber, basically, in case one of the staff recognised me and said “what, you came back? Did you enjoy it that much? Perhaps you should get a season ticket?”
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
Had roughly similar experience many years ago, taking the Great Northern railroad line (now part of BNSF) across the northern Great Plains of USA. Took full day and then some from Glacier National Park to Minneapolis.
Distinctly remember when the train was briefly stopped at Havre, Montana. Was looking out the window, and there was a real-live cowboy, or close enough, likely a rancher. I gave him a wave . . . and he tipped his Stetson.
The sort of flat landscape you get in the north European plain, or Lincolnshire for that matter, is different and worse than anything in the prairies or the steppe.
It’s cluttered flatness. There are buildings, road signage, rows of trees, electricity pylons all preventing any really long distance views. So you don’t really get the big sky effect or the sense of emptiness.
Have you seen Dead Man's Shoes? That really conjured up the grim feel of England when flat meets impoverished. Set in the north but could just as easily have been somewhere in Kent or Suffolk.
I hadn't heard of this, and have just looked it up, wondering where in the north flat met impoverished. Apparently it's set around Matlock, which is neither flat, nor impoverished, nor even particularly in the North. Anyway, I shall look it out.
On most current polls and expectations the Tories will lose all 3 by elections on Thursday. So if they hold just one that will boost Sunak before the summer recess.
Starmer by contrast will need to win at least one of Selby or Uxbridge or Labour MPs will wonder why poll leads don't translate to ballot box success. The LDs I assume will win Somerton and Frome which will give Sir Ed Davey an enjoyable summer holiday
This is delusional. Lets assume you lose Selby and Somerton and scrape a win in Uxbridge thanks to all those ULEZ-opposing Hindus you're obsessed by.
How is that a boost to Sunak? Instead of "everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose" its "almost everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose.
Uxbridge is in the top 100 Labour target seats. Starmer needs it for Labour to even win most seats let alone a majority and on current polls it should be an easy Labour gain. If the Tories hold it it would certainly suggest problems for Labour in suburban London at least
You have already said Labour will lose because of a local outer London issue (ULEZ) that is about to drop in around a month. That being so, and I trust your and Nick Ferrari's judgement on this local issue. If you are both right then Uxbridge means Jack S*** for the national picture. You can't have it both ways in Uxbridge.
I’m sure you can if you pay them eno…oh, you meant politics?
Just heard Nick Read from the Post Office condemning Kevan Jones for criticising the Post Office Board's Brucie bonus.
What is it with all these horrid Labour MPs called Jones beating up on Nick?
He has a fucking nerve criticising anyone given his own behaviour.
I saw him and McAulay get rinsed by Darren Jones in committee. Read clearly thought Darren Jones was arrogant and deserved contempt calling out someone so important as the CEO of the Post Office. Jones was critical of the time and motion tablet that postmen were using to feedback when they stood still. It seemed quite oppressive. Read explained it wasn't a time and motion exercise. Jones didn't believe him.
Jones also questioned Read over SD priority over standard letters. He denied the programme despite compelling evidence to the contrary. Are you allowed to mislead a Parliamentary Committee?
Krakow must be right up there in the top 20 most beautiful cities on the planet. I think I prefer it to Prague
True story: I was last here 20 years ago for a wedding. A couple of days before the wedding we all went for a jaunt. On the way back to krakow from the salt mines we passed auschwitz and the minibus driver said “if anyone wants to see it, well, here it is”
Despite the horror everyone wanted to see it, as they’d not seen it before, so they all piled off. I could hardly stay on the bus (“what, don’t you care??”) so I dutifully got off to “see Auschwitz”
Thing is I’d specifically seen it about six months before. So I spent my time hiding behind a gas chamber, basically, in case one of the staff recognised me and said “what, you came back? Did you enjoy it that much? Perhaps you should get a season ticket?”
I love Krakow. My favourite European city of the ones I’ve seen.
Although to be fair I’ve seen Vienna but not Prague.
Yes. It’s at a weird angle. This is more realistic. I’ll stop with the beer photos now in case @viewcode has conniptions
That view must be one of the great urban views of Europe, come to think of it. The loveliest square in one of Europe’s loveliest cities. Ergo one of the finest urban views in the world
Last time I was there, there was a big screen in which all PJ Harvey's singles were being played at surprising volumes. I like Peej so was fine with it. But she isn't everyone's cup of tea.
Onto the Jamie Driscoll thing again, the "ha, he's just raised £25k" thing is exactly like "ha, Jeremy has just raised £gazillions to defend him from libel". Fools and their money are easily parted.
Driscoll is losing his job and is unhappy about it. I understand that. But this is politics - losing comes with the job. Some battles are internal - he is hardly the first politician to be deselected by his own party.
Question is why he and his are so bereft of friends and allies. Forging those across a spectrum of colleagues is also a key part of politics.
Why the snark? He's fighting what he believes in and a great number are willing to help him out.
On most current polls and expectations the Tories will lose all 3 by elections on Thursday. So if they hold just one that will boost Sunak before the summer recess.
Starmer by contrast will need to win at least one of Selby or Uxbridge or Labour MPs will wonder why poll leads don't translate to ballot box success. The LDs I assume will win Somerton and Frome which will give Sir Ed Davey an enjoyable summer holiday
This is delusional. Lets assume you lose Selby and Somerton and scrape a win in Uxbridge thanks to all those ULEZ-opposing Hindus you're obsessed by.
How is that a boost to Sunak? Instead of "everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose" its "almost everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose.
Uxbridge is in the top 100 Labour target seats. Starmer needs it for Labour to even win most seats let alone a majority and on current polls it should be an easy Labour gain. If the Tories hold it it would certainly suggest problems for Labour in suburban London at least
You have already said Labour will lose because of a local outer London issue (ULEZ) that is about to drop in around a month. That being so, and I trust your and Nick Ferrari's judgement on this local issue. If you are both right then Uxbridge means Jack S*** for the national picture. You can't have it both ways in Uxbridge.
I’m sure you can if you pay them eno…oh, you meant politics?
Not when HY is PM there won't. There will be none of that kind of amoral shenanigans!
On most current polls and expectations the Tories will lose all 3 by elections on Thursday. So if they hold just one that will boost Sunak before the summer recess.
Starmer by contrast will need to win at least one of Selby or Uxbridge or Labour MPs will wonder why poll leads don't translate to ballot box success. The LDs I assume will win Somerton and Frome which will give Sir Ed Davey an enjoyable summer holiday
This is delusional. Lets assume you lose Selby and Somerton and scrape a win in Uxbridge thanks to all those ULEZ-opposing Hindus you're obsessed by.
How is that a boost to Sunak? Instead of "everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose" its "almost everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose.
Uxbridge is in the top 100 Labour target seats. Starmer needs it for Labour to even win most seats let alone a majority and on current polls it should be an easy Labour gain. If the Tories hold it it would certainly suggest problems for Labour in suburban London at least
You have already said Labour will lose because of a local outer London issue (ULEZ) that is about to drop in around a month. That being so, and I trust your and Nick Ferrari's judgement on this local issue. If you are both right then Uxbridge means Jack S*** for the national picture. You can't have it both ways in Uxbridge.
I’m sure you can if you pay them eno…oh, you meant politics?
Not when HY is PM there won't. There will be none of that kind of amoral shenanigans!
Yes. It’s at a weird angle. This is more realistic. I’ll stop with the beer photos now in case @viewcode has conniptions
That view must be one of the great urban views of Europe, come to think of it. The loveliest square in one of Europe’s loveliest cities. Ergo one of the finest urban views in the world
It would have been considerably better if it had been in focus, but to do that would require you moving five foot forward and removing your table, your beer, and yourself from the photo. Choices.
Sorry @viewcode I like the picture. The beer sets it off. It says to me, 'I want to be there'. I know, I have no taste.
Explosion from underneath this time, so the whole roadway has been forced up and back down, there’s much more damage to the support pillars than in last year’s explosion.
That should take a while to fix, it was five months last time, with the damage to only one carriageway.
Glad to see that the bridge isn’t as protected at the enemy thinks it is.
Railway bridge is a more difficult hit, as it’s a lot more substantial structure than the road bridge.
Yeah, one lane on the bridge appears to have shifted slightly, the other shifted more and partially dropped. Despite what the Russians say, I cannot see there not being significant damage to that pier.
Rail bridges *are* more substantial, but that's because they carry much heavier loads, especially rolling ones. You don't need to drop the span for the damage to reduce the loads so that it cannot be used by anything heavy - such as fuel trains or trains carrying tanks.
Which I think is what happened in last year's attack: the rail bridge could still carry light traffic, but was unusable by anything heavy. Which is why they spent so long replacing that span.
Incidentally, given the Kerch Strait occasionally freezes over, I'm surprised the bridge piers have no apparent cutwaters.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
Had roughly similar experience many years ago, taking the Great Northern railroad line (now part of BNSF) across the northern Great Plains of USA. Took full day and then some from Glacier National Park to Minneapolis.
Distinctly remember when the train was briefly stopped at Havre, Montana. Was looking out the window, and there was a real-live cowboy, or close enough, likely a rancher. I gave him a wave . . . and he tipped his Stetson.
The sort of flat landscape you get in the north European plain, or Lincolnshire for that matter, is different and worse than anything in the prairies or the steppe.
It’s cluttered flatness. There are buildings, road signage, rows of trees, electricity pylons all preventing any really long distance views. So you don’t really get the big sky effect or the sense of emptiness.
Yes, I get that. There is a bleakness to the Fens when I drive east to Norfolk. Not least the weird sex shop in a lay-by near Thorney Toll. The sort of place that serial killers shop, I suppose.
The Polish countryside is REALLY dull. It’s a whole load of nothing. Apart from various sites of appalling atrocity and genocide
It’s like you’re driving through the most boring part of Lincolnshire and it’s nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-oh-two-million-people-were-murdered-there-nothing-nothing-nothing-nothing-look-there’s-a-place that sells biscuits nothing nothing nothing nothing-nothing-SITE-OF-SATANIC-EVIL-nothing-nothing-Skegness
I may need a beer after this 19 hour train journey
Being perpetually bored is so . . . boring.
The relentnessless of large open spaces is a scenery of its own. I have felt that driving inland between Victoria and Queens land, with a stop in an Aussie dairy every couple of hours to break the monotony of dessicated gum trees. It's an acquired taste, but beautiful.
Had roughly similar experience many years ago, taking the Great Northern railroad line (now part of BNSF) across the northern Great Plains of USA. Took full day and then some from Glacier National Park to Minneapolis.
Distinctly remember when the train was briefly stopped at Havre, Montana. Was looking out the window, and there was a real-live cowboy, or close enough, likely a rancher. I gave him a wave . . . and he tipped his Stetson.
The sort of flat landscape you get in the north European plain, or Lincolnshire for that matter, is different and worse than anything in the prairies or the steppe.
It’s cluttered flatness. There are buildings, road signage, rows of trees, electricity pylons all preventing any really long distance views. So you don’t really get the big sky effect or the sense of emptiness.
Have you seen Dead Man's Shoes? That really conjured up the grim feel of England when flat meets impoverished. Set in the north but could just as easily have been somewhere in Kent or Suffolk.
I hadn't heard of this, and have just looked it up, wondering where in the north flat met impoverished. Apparently it's set around Matlock, which is neither flat, nor impoverished, nor even particularly in the North. Anyway, I shall look it out.
Great film. Bleak but great. Stays with you. And as you'll see if you watch it the setting is northerly and it is flat and impoverished. Although the film maybe plays that up and therefore distorts cf the actual filming location.
Explosion from underneath this time, so the whole roadway has been forced up and back down, there’s much more damage to the support pillars than in last year’s explosion.
That should take a while to fix, it was five months last time, with the damage to only one carriageway.
Glad to see that the bridge isn’t as protected at the enemy thinks it is.
Railway bridge is a more difficult hit, as it’s a lot more substantial structure than the road bridge.
Yeah, one lane on the bridge appears to have shifted slightly, the other shifted more and partially dropped. Despite what the Russians say, I cannot see there not being significant damage to that pier.
Rail bridges *are* more substantial, but that's because they carry much heavier loads, especially rolling ones. You don't need to drop the span for the damage to reduce the loads so that it cannot be used by anything heavy - such as fuel trains or trains carrying tanks.
Which I think is what happened in last year's attack: the rail bridge could still carry light traffic, but was unusable by anything heavy. Which is why they spent so long replacing that span.
Incidentally, given the Kerch Strait occasionally freezes over, I'm surprised the bridge piers have no apparent cutwaters.
The first bridge across the Kerch Strait was destroyed by ice damage.
The company that built the new one is said not to have known bridges can be affected by ice.
Explosion from underneath this time, so the whole roadway has been forced up and back down, there’s much more damage to the support pillars than in last year’s explosion.
That should take a while to fix, it was five months last time, with the damage to only one carriageway.
Glad to see that the bridge isn’t as protected at the enemy thinks it is.
Railway bridge is a more difficult hit, as it’s a lot more substantial structure than the road bridge.
Yeah, one lane on the bridge appears to have shifted slightly, the other shifted more and partially dropped. Despite what the Russians say, I cannot see there not being significant damage to that pier.
Rail bridges *are* more substantial, but that's because they carry much heavier loads, especially rolling ones. You don't need to drop the span for the damage to reduce the loads so that it cannot be used by anything heavy - such as fuel trains or trains carrying tanks.
Which I think is what happened in last year's attack: the rail bridge could still carry light traffic, but was unusable by anything heavy. Which is why they spent so long replacing that span.
Incidentally, given the Kerch Strait occasionally freezes over, I'm surprised the bridge piers have no apparent cutwaters.
The first bridge across the Kerch Strait was destroyed by ice damage.
The company that built the new one is said not to have known bridges can be affected by ice.
I won’t tell them if you don’t, and let’s pray for a severe winter.
Explosion from underneath this time, so the whole roadway has been forced up and back down, there’s much more damage to the support pillars than in last year’s explosion.
That should take a while to fix, it was five months last time, with the damage to only one carriageway.
Glad to see that the bridge isn’t as protected at the enemy thinks it is.
Railway bridge is a more difficult hit, as it’s a lot more substantial structure than the road bridge.
Yeah, one lane on the bridge appears to have shifted slightly, the other shifted more and partially dropped. Despite what the Russians say, I cannot see there not being significant damage to that pier.
Rail bridges *are* more substantial, but that's because they carry much heavier loads, especially rolling ones. You don't need to drop the span for the damage to reduce the loads so that it cannot be used by anything heavy - such as fuel trains or trains carrying tanks.
Which I think is what happened in last year's attack: the rail bridge could still carry light traffic, but was unusable by anything heavy. Which is why they spent so long replacing that span.
Incidentally, given the Kerch Strait occasionally freezes over, I'm surprised the bridge piers have no apparent cutwaters.
The first bridge across the Kerch Strait was destroyed by ice damage.
The company that built the new one is said not to have known bridges can be affected by ice.
I won’t tell them if you don’t, and let’s pray for a severe winter.
That would bugger them in Crimea but fill their coffers through massive gas use.
The trick is a big freeze in the Sea of Azov but a very mild winter elsewhere. At that point TSE can talk about stepmoms.
Comments
Or is it? Maybe not always. Consider this:
You have £100 in the world and you simply MUST turn it into £120 because you owe Reggie Kray £120 and he's going to nail your scrotum to a coffee table if you don't pay in full. No point offering him £100. That'll make him even more angry. He'll think you're taking the piss. Disrespecting him. Disrespecting his mother.
He's coming to your place at midnight for the money. It's 6 pm now. You have no mates or family and can't borrow.
Solution: Hit the casino. Do the above technique assiduously (at £1 per spin) until you either lose the £100 or make the £20. You're more likely to make the £20 than lose the £100. If you make the £20 you're saved. You pay Reg and resolve to live better from now on. If you lose the £100, well you're no worse off. It's flat/win and flat/wins make sense.
Like many Eastern European families, they had multiple generations living together. The family house was on three stories, occupied by young folk with good legs at the top, middle-aged folk in the middle, and the elderly on the ground floor. It's now three separate flats and I was hospitably shown round by one of the residents - big rooms, high ceilings, like Edwardian houses in London.
The Polish Corridor was of course the cockpit of WW2, and the family was pretty apolitical (they left the USSR in the 20s for that reason - just didn't want to be part of a revolutionary state). However, the neighbour, the future Nazi gauleiter, put up a swastika flag, so they raised a hammer and sickle just to make it clear they weren't anything to do with the thugs next door. They had lots of amusing and slightly scary stories. My grandfather was a defence lawyer with a clientele of mostly low-level crooks, and engaged some of his petty criminal clients to keep an eye out for my mum when she walked to school - she remembered getting reassuring nods from seedy characters hanging around on street corners.
I have a tentative retirement plan in a few years to take a new degree in history, focusing on the period and region - just for interest and to fill out the impressions that I picked up from the family.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-66222964
The question at the election is going to be “Do you feel better off than you were four years ago?”, which is going to be answered in the negative for an awful lot of people.
I don’t trust this record tho. I am pretty sure somewhere in the Aussie interior has gone way over the 53C record at some point. But there’s no one there to gauge it
For context Australia’s highest ever temperature - 50.3C - was recorded last year in Western Oz ON But nothing matches Australia for sheer relentless flat desertness with barely any shade. It outdoes the Sahara
Somewhere in there I bet it’s hit 55-60C
There’s a theory it might have touched 55C during one of Charles Sturt’s explorations across Oz. But it got so hot the thermometers ceased working properly and also the heat sent everyone temporarily blind, so they couldn’t check the bulbs anyway
Meanwhile Jamie now has £44,000
As for those being grilled, based on YouTube viewing, hard to imagine a more pathetic collection of worthless losers.
Personally wouldn't hire any of the ones I saw, to manage a ONE hole outhouse. OR haul chickenshit across a country road.
I can't quite put my finger on what it is though.
Sadly satellites can only measure the surface temperature but the 80C+ in Iran's Lut Desert can't have been good for anyone there.
I rather like 18C and a bit windy.
I ate very well and cheaply there a decade or so back.
Last time England won an Ashes test at Old Trafford was 1981.
Bloody Lancastrians.
On the same trip our tent blew away in a sandstorm in New Mexico, so we had to sleep in the Olds.
Mrs Foxy was a little hot and bothered, but still married me the following year!
Distinctly remember when the train was briefly stopped at Havre, Montana. Was looking out the window, and there was a real-live cowboy, or close enough, likely a rancher. I gave him a wave . . . and he tipped his Stetson.
The sort of brain-dead attitude towards attire that I've commented about on here in the past.
Starmer by contrast will need to win at least one of Selby or Uxbridge or Labour MPs will wonder why poll leads don't translate to ballot box success. The LDs I assume will win Somerton and Frome which will give Sir Ed Davey an enjoyable summer holiday
It’s cluttered flatness. There are buildings, road signage, rows of trees, electricity pylons all preventing any really long distance views. So you don’t really get the big sky effect or the sense of emptiness.
It’s mesmerising, even lovely, in its own boring way
Also dangerous. You don’t fall asleep so much as drift into a weird dream state. Where you can easily and rhapsodically drive off the road into a ghost gum
And you gotta watch out for roos and camels
July 17, 1945. Leo Szilard’s petition to President Truman against using atomic bombs on Japan received 70 signatures. It was prevented from reaching the President. It wasn’t declassified until 1961.
https://twitter.com/GeneDannen/status/1680975033525739520
I therefore made a jokey comment about it (hence the smiley). You appear to have read far too much into it.
Or, more accurately, you are just trolling.
Again.
How is that a boost to Sunak? Instead of "everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose" its "almost everyone with less than a 20k majority will lose.
Great minds thinking un-alike. Vive la difference (in a manner of speaking)!
Why are people such utter *****. There are definitely more of them post-COViD, and I bet they have high turnout at the polls.
That view must be one of the great urban views of Europe, come to think of it. The loveliest square in one of Europe’s loveliest cities. Ergo one of the finest urban views in the world
I couldn’t care less what you wear, or how smelly you are, or how unkempt your beard or shoes are. It’s the way you fetishise your own slovenliness and advertise it frequently on here which is somewhat odd.
As I said, why do you think anyone would care?
It’s an utter disgrace and this useless govt are doing nothing about it.
At least Kevan Jones is doing something to help the victims.
Ran slowly off the road a few miles from Gila Bend, nearly hit a Porsche hire car broken down on the hard shoulder (with a German tourist standing behind the boot), bypassing the German and clipping the Porsche’s right rear and then rolling into a saguaro cactus.
We arrived about a minute later to a scene of great confusion. Somewhat later still the local cop turned up complete with hat, tight fitting uniform and shades and addressed everyone as sir and ma’am.
Driscoll is losing his job and is unhappy about it. I understand that. But this is politics - losing comes with the job. Some battles are internal - he is hardly the first politician to be deselected by his own party.
Question is why he and his are so bereft of friends and allies. Forging those across a spectrum of colleagues is also a key part of politics.
https://nitter.net/pic/orig/media/F1QQSEHXsAA-Bpo.jpg
Clear from this (if it wasn't already) that both Kerch road decks are screwed.
I wonder if there will be an attempt on the railway soon...
Or here. The Anglo Saxon chapel of Cedd. Bradwell
Skies that go on and on. Ruskin loved them
A tragic story about a brace Scotswoman who died at Auschwitz:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-30119673
I can only hope I am never tested in that way.
But 26 for 2-1 looks excellent value.
Or perhaps PB is a place where people sometime somewhat exaggerate their views, or joke a little.
If not, please tell me where I've claimed that I "... runs seven ultra-marathons every weekday. "
A dead straight road for miles and miles is an invitation to have an accident, or do 190mph
Holding Uxbridge means nothing if you are getting reamed in solid blue 20k seats elsewhere. You still lose. Badly.
Please understand. Should you pull this off, and just hold Uxbridge whilst being reamed in the others. And then you come on here crowing about your great victory. We will mock.
Without exaggeration one of the most godly and spiritual places on earth. And tucked away in a corner of utterly unknown England, next to a dead nuclear power station
I was there in a relative drought period, and was surprised to see plaques in the branches of a tree showing various flood heights, seemingly dozens of feet above the water level.
What would be unusual at @HYUFD being mocked ?
A Labour minority Government that spends half its time micro-managing a restive Parliament and the other half making excuses for its conspicuous lack of achievement is the express route to Tory rehabilitation.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/07/17/russia-closes-kerch-bridge-explosion-sea-drones/
Explosion from underneath this time, so the whole roadway has been forced up and back down, there’s much more damage to the support pillars than in last year’s explosion.
That should take a while to fix, it was five months last time, with the damage to only one carriageway.
Glad to see that the bridge isn’t as protected at the enemy thinks it is.
Railway bridge is a more difficult hit, as it’s a lot more substantial structure than the road bridge.
True story: I was last here 20 years ago for a wedding. A couple of days before the wedding we all went for a jaunt. On the way back to krakow from the salt mines we passed auschwitz and the minibus driver said “if anyone wants to see it, well, here it is”
Despite the horror everyone wanted to see it, as they’d not seen it before, so they all piled off. I could hardly stay on the bus (“what, don’t you care??”) so I dutifully got off to “see Auschwitz”
Thing is I’d specifically seen it about six months before. So I spent my time hiding behind a gas chamber, basically, in case one of the staff recognised me and said “what, you came back? Did you enjoy it that much? Perhaps you should get a season ticket?”
Jones also questioned Read over SD priority over standard letters. He denied the programme despite compelling evidence to the contrary. Are you allowed to mislead a Parliamentary Committee?
Although to be fair I’ve seen Vienna but not Prague.
I like Peej so was fine with it. But she isn't everyone's cup of tea.
"Dear neighbour,
I live in Sherburn in Elmet..."
Sherburn in Elmet is a different village about twenty minutes' drive away. I'm all for being neighbourly, but that's stretching things a bit!
Nothing like a bit of local knowledge
Rail bridges *are* more substantial, but that's because they carry much heavier loads, especially rolling ones. You don't need to drop the span for the damage to reduce the loads so that it cannot be used by anything heavy - such as fuel trains or trains carrying tanks.
Which I think is what happened in last year's attack: the rail bridge could still carry light traffic, but was unusable by anything heavy. Which is why they spent so long replacing that span.
Incidentally, given the Kerch Strait occasionally freezes over, I'm surprised the bridge piers have no apparent cutwaters.
The company that built the new one is said not to have known bridges can be affected by ice.
Laugh at me on Friday morning.
The trick is a big freeze in the Sea of Azov but a very mild winter elsewhere. At that point TSE can talk about stepmoms.